Chapter Twenty-Two - Feelings & Decisions
Chris' Point Of View
Recap -
"I quite like this position, don't you?" Ian asked me, smirking slightly.
I rolled my eyes, "don't be such a per-"
I felt his lips press against mine, and before my brain had a chance to process that it was wrong, I was kissing him back.
I pushed lightly on his chest, breaking apart our lips' contact, feeling the cool evening air sweep across them.
My eyes fluttered open, as he started to get up off the floor and I followed suit. I looked into his confused eyes, "Ia-" I started, the familiar break up speech looming in my head, when he started talking.
"I'm sorry." He looked conflicted, and he didn't speak for a couple of silent seconds, "I-I can't hide my feelings from you forever, Chris. I really like you, and seeing you with Callum, it-it hurts me," he was looking down at his shoes now, and I stood frozen in my spot.
Ian likes me?
He sucked in a big breath of air and continued, "Callum's one of my best friends," he met my eyes now, and his were filled with regret and something else I've never seen in his eyes before, "and it's not fair to him, or you, that you guys can't be happy. So, I'm officially backing out, now that I finally got to feel what kissing you felt like."
He tucked a fly-away strand of hair behind my ear and leaned in, his warm breath tickling my ear, hot compared to the breeze, "I don't know if it meant something to you, babe, but it definitely meant something to me."
His green eyes were clouded with lust when he pulled back, but they cleared up within seconds. He turned around and started walking through the forest, the stray twigs and branches crunching under his shoes.
"I think it did," I whispered to myself as soon as he was disappeared inside the mess of trees and leaves, "I'm just not yet sure what."
***
"Meleah, I need your help..." I told my brunette friend.
She must've heard the desperation in my voice because she turned her position around on the couch so she was facing me, "you're scaring me with your seriousness."
I rolled my eyes at her, glancing around the room at how I would word this.
I decided to come back to my grandmother's house, not for Daisy or Zach (both of whom I was currently mad at) but for myself. And the fact that if I spent another night on Macy's couch I might have a permanent back problem.
"Well," I fidgeted with my fingers, turning them over each other. How do I tell her without her judging me?
"Chris, just tell me already," she calmly stated.
I had a serious sense of dêja-vu from the moment she told me about Andrew, but the role's were reversed. Now I know how she felt.
"I kissed Ian." I decided the blunter the better, so I went for it.
Judging by her condescending look, I could tell that that wasn't the best way to present the make-or-break-my-relationship news.
"Were you caught up in the moment? Or did you actually think 'hey, I'm going to kiss my boyfriend's best friend for fun'?" She asked sarcastically.
I wasn't the cheating type and she knew it, but it still hurt to think that she thought I would consciously cheat on someone.
"I fell out of a tree because there was a spider, and landed on him. He flipped me over, and then kissed me and I kissed him back but then pushed him off and he told me he had feelings for me but he wasn't going to interfere with Callum and I's relationship." I explained hastily wanting the look of shame to leave her face.
Her eyes shone with understanding and she muttered, "too late for that."
"I have to tell him don't I?"
She shook her head 'yes', "Macy told me Ian liked you, tons of people knew, by the way."
My mouth dropped open in shock, "what! And no one thought to tell me?"
She rolled her eyes at me, "and say what? 'Sorry to break up the happy couple but Ian likes you?' Not to mention Callum would be pissed and most likely end their friendship." She told me turning back to face One For The Money, which was on the TV.
If I tell Callum that's exactly what's going to happen. Not to mention we have to spend the whole rest of the summer here.
"Meleah. I can't tell him. It would ruin their friendship!" I whined.
She shrugged, "so don't."
I nodded, "I'm sorry," I told her, "for ditching you and running away from my problems." I apologized, just to get rid of the pestering feeling of guilt that was steadily consuming me. I didn't have enough room on my plate to juggle Meleah, Daisy, Ian, Zach, and Callum problems all at once.
She smiled gratefully at me, "don't worry about it. I hung out with Zach for a while and went to the beach with the girls one day."
I smiled at her, the knot of guilt still present in my stomach, "we'll make the most of your last three days here I promise!"
She giggled, "I know we will."
Turning my attention to my phone, I sent a text to Ian.
I can't tell him, ur friendship!! Secret? -C
He replied back a couple minutes later, uk im fine with whatever u decide...just beware tht relationships aren't healthy based off of lies (; -Ian's The Man (;
I rolled my eyes, not bothering to reply to his text.
I actually liked Callum and didn't want to jeopardize what could be, with Ian.
But then, did I really like Ian? Or was I too caught up in the moment?
No matter what my brain told me, I knew that Ian was just giving me a way out of an already claustrophobic relationship, and I'd eventually want out because of my mentality. It was just a matter of out now or later?
I was going to end up hurting either Callum, Ian, or myself and it was about time that I finally realized it.
Callum's Point Of View
After Chris left Macy's house, Zach left to go help Ian find her.
I was trying to figure out why I didn't go after her, and instead went back to the guys' and I's house.
They were all asking and all I could do was shrug my shoulders lazily.
"I'm so bored! We should've went to look for Chris!" Hayden moaned from the couch.
Ryan threw a pillow at him and it hit Hayden square in the face with an oof, "we should have stayed at Macy's!"
"But Kent and Macy were gonna get it on, Zach and Meleah left and Salem and Erika went to get Starbucks, I think," Hayden said creasing his eyebrows.
I rolled my eyes at their bickering walking over to the flat screen TV and looking through the cases of movies on the wall.
A, B, C, D, I kept flicking through the titles which were alphabetized, Connor was OCD about the movies being in order.
I finally picked out one of my all time favorites, 21 Jump Street, from the selection and put it in the player.
"What's in?" Ryan asked.
"21 Jump Street," I told him, my eyes still trained on the player.
"We just watched that!" He complained.
"Tough luck bro," I told him, plopping down on the coach with the remote in my hands.
"Yeah, go after your girlfriend, Ian's going to steal her," Hayden told me, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
I laughed at the thought. Ian might have had a couple girlfriends in the past but there's no way he would go for Chris, they're just friends. And anyway, he acts so weird around her in general.
I glanced at them out of the corner of my eye and told them, "I don't know where she'd be." It was a lame excuse and I knew it, but thankfully their eyes trained back onto the TV and they left the topic alone for the time being.
Was I really just stringing Chris along because she was my rebound from Shelby? Or did I think of her as something more?
***
So many feelings in this chapter... Hopefully things are a little more sorted in the next one (; -H
ALSO - s/o to my new friend @GodsandMonsters5 and one of my biggest fans @ashlukecalmike (you're kind of awesome & I love your support!).